Spotlight

The Virginia Department of Education has cut down testing time for elementary and middle school students this year and its test-delivery system is now compatible with iPad, Chromebooks and other devices.

High schoolers will have the chance to learn solar energy design, cryptography and chemistry in three new courses added to the offerings by the Virtual High School, a Massachusetts-based nonprofit that offers online courses to students in any state and many countries.

Beginning with the 2017-18 school year, educators using its learning management system will be able to use Google Drive more easily within the LMS to manage grades, assignments and student submissions.

Virtual reality (VR) has found its way into the educational space, and by all indications, it’s here to stay. Since VR glasses can be obtained for as low as $10 apiece, cost is becoming less of an issue. Here are three guidelines toward introducing VR in e-learning courses.

Centervention, the company behind online social and emotional skills games Zoo U and Hall of Heroes, has released a new online program called “Stories in Motion,” which is specifically designed for elementary students with autism spectrum disorder.

Mobile learning is the top priority for K–12 IT leaders, according to the fifth annual K–12 IT Leadership Survey published by the Consortium for School Networking (CoSN). It’s the first time mobile learning ranked as the highest priority in the survey.

Beginning this summer, FRS will host eight learning institutes that offer personal professional development opportunities for district leaders, IT directors, principals, teachers, instructional coaches, librarians and media specialists planning to implement personalized learning strategies for their students.

Measured Progress has launched eMPower Assessments to K–12 districts nationwide. This new suite of assessments measures student growth for grades 3 through 8 and connects to the SAT Suite of Assessments.

The full-course curriculum, authored by experts in ELA, comes with student and teacher materials; a reading list; a curriculum map; family resources and more. All materials will be openly licensed and free to download later this summer. The curriculum offers supports for English language learners and students with disabilities.

Upcoming K–12 Grants

Sponsor: SparkFun
Award: STEM/STEAM-releated prize packages, event and team sponsorships and other types of support
Number of Awards: Varies
Application Deadline: Third Thursday of each month; awards announced on the last business day of each month

Sponsor: Crayola and the National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP)
Award: $2,500 plus $1,000 in Crayola gear
Number of Awards: Up to 20 major prizes, plus one Crayola Classpack for every applicant submitting by the early bird deadline
Application Deadline: June 23 (June 5 for early bird prize)

Sponsor: Toshiba America Foundation
Award: Two categories: Up to $5,000 and more than $5,000
Number of Awards: Not specified
Application Deadline: Up to $5,000 awarded on a rolling basis; Aug. 1 deadline for applications for more than $5,000

Deadline: Ongoing
Award: No more than 10 percent of an organization's annual operating expenses or 25 percent of the total budget for the project being funded; awards have ranged from the hundreds to the millions of dollars.
Number of Awards: Varies
Qualification: Project should "directly serve or impact children living in urban poverty, particularly in the areas of education, family economic stability (including microfinance) and childhood health."

Professional Resources

Blended learning is one of the most exciting developments in education in recent years, showing the promise to improve student learning through the combination of technology and face-to-face interaction with teachers. THE Blended Classroom, a new newsletter from the editors of THE Journal, is published twice monthly.

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